


Freeze This Moment

by kitausuret



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Canon is a Suggestion, Eddie is getting help and living his best life, Established Relationship, Flash is a good and supportive boyfriend, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Self-indulgent fluff, some very minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 14:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15865938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausuret/pseuds/kitausuret
Summary: Eddie Brock's life has been going well lately. As he nears completion of his Master's in Journalism, he starts to wonder if this streak of fortune can continue, or if it'll crash and burn like it always has before.But even when he had Venom in his life back then, he hadn't had Flash Thompson at his back, too.





	Freeze This Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this piece](https://joederartist.tumblr.com/post/176637522943/a-very-cute-commission-of-flash-eddie-and-venom) which I commissioned from joederartist on Tumblr. Also I just really needed to write some fluff.

_It’s not perfect._

_"The universe was not designed to be perfect, Eddie. Though Flash might say your jawline comes close to that.”_

He snorted to himself but flushed a little regardless, turning over the page in his notebook to compare it to what was on his laptop screen. _Quit distracting me; I told myself I would finish this section before he got home._

The deep voice of his other made a noise he could only describe as laughter before settling back into his subconscious. As the symbiote often did, though, he knew Venom spoke the truth. Well - not about his boyfriend’s opinion of his jawline (unless… he did?), but at least of the universe being inherently imperfect. Eddie could almost hear Dr. Nieves in the back of his mind, _you will never find perfection in yourself because it does not exist_ anywhere _,_ and while he knew she was right… He still wanted to give 110% to his Master’s thesis.

Eddie let himself revel in the thought, just for a moment. Three years ago, he never would have thought he’d be here: back in school, not one but _two_ partners in his life, a roof over his head that wasn’t leaking, acquitted and an actual _future_ ahead of him.

How soon would it all come crashing down?

Anxiety seized his heart, not for the first time. Almost immediately, Venom returned to the forefront of his thoughts and tendrils leaked out to wrap around him. Eddie heaved a sigh and breathed in slowly ( _one, two, three, four…_ ) and out ( _five, six, seven, eight_ ).

A dozen or so limbs tightened around his torso and he leaned his head back. Great. So much for finishing that thought. A few more tendrils appeared, closing up his laptop and a large volume on loan from the ESU library. Eddie made a noise of protest, trying to snatch up his pen. “Wait, I can still-”

_“You are overworking yourself.”_

“This is my future at stake!”

_“Your health is also your future. You need to eat, and you need to relax.”_

He clenched his jaw and allowed Venom to stack up his supplies. The living matter then spread over his back and shoulders, under his shirt, massaging the muscles beneath until the tension left them. Eddie felt affection from the symbiote, right on top of concern, and closed his eyes. Okay. This was okay. He was ahead of schedule, and before long Flash would be home, and maybe it would be all right to busy his mind otherwise…

When he worked, Venom mostly lingered in the recesses of his consciousness. It was always there, but allowed him to focus as needed. It was… nice. They understood each other in a way they hadn’t before.

Symbiosis. The bond, as it was meant to be.

Something manifested beside him, a head, and nestled against his cheek, then the crook of his neck, and he laughed as Venom emitted a kind of low rumble. Eddie would almost describe it as _purring_ except that it vibrated softly through every part of Venom’s being. The little affectionate touches; the softness of that voice… it filled him with a kind of joy he hadn't felt in so long. He'd been feeling it just about every day lately.

 _“You are in love,”_ Venom informed him, almost teasingly.

 _Mm, yes, and it is_ your _fault._

_“I am happy to take the blame.”_

Eddie turned to place a kiss on the top of the symbiote’s head and enjoyed the the small vocalization he got in return. For all that Venom was growls and snarls and a deep voice in his mind, he cherished the tiny, soft noises his other sometimes emitted. They were rare, but… well, Flash would say “adorable”.

 _“I am a cosmic horror from far beyond the stars,”_ Venom insisted, having caught the thought. As if to prove a point, he then bared a great many teeth.

“Yes,” he said aloud and kissed one of the massive fangs, “of course you are.”

The symbiote nestled in his lap then, seeming to grumble, and Eddie leaned his head back again, still chuckling. As one, they were quite the formidable opponent, and certainly Venom on his own was nothing to trifle with, but as with all beings, they had softer moments.

A kind of sixth sense prickled in the back of his mind where Venom remained and a moment later, the lock on the door clicked. He received a flood of happiness in response to the apartment’s third resident entering. Flash Thompson, who had been to hell and back in more than one way, still filled every room he came into with an incredible sense of optimism and sincerity. For all his impulsive brashness, for all his perfect hair and perfect smile, their paths had more in common than not. Betrayal. Pain. Hardship. Anger.

Redemption.

That Flash had maintained his faith in the world and indeed other _people_ was… quite stunning.

“Sorry, I know I’m late,” he said as he leaned over the back of his wheelchair and shut the door behind him. “Had been waiting for someone to get back to me about adaptive living conditions for this…” Flash paused and the smile turned nervous. “...Eddie?”

“Hm?”

“Babe, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m…” The symbiote lifted its head from his lap to stare at him.

_“We need to communicate with each other, Eddie. All of us.”_

“Looks like Venom managed to pull you away from that thesis work, at least,” Flash commented, eyes flickering between the two. He rolled over and hoisted himself onto the couch with a gentle smile that had Eddie’s heart fluttering.

Venom laughed in the back of his mind and Eddie only flushed even brighter. Nonetheless, he let Flash lean into him and tried for words again. “Everything has been going so _well_ ; you, me, Venom… sometimes I feel as if…”

“As if you’re waiting for the shit to hit the fan again?”

“Crudely put,” he said, “but yes.”

Flash moved closer and wrapped an arm around Eddie’s massive shoulders, closing his eyes and settling in at the crook of his neck. His hand settled atop Eddie’s, absently stroking their symbiote partner’s flesh, and Venom responded by extending at least twenty tendrils to wrap about the both of them. The alien had been the one to bring them together in the first place - to be physically held like this seemed only natural.

Flash spoke softly then, a rare contrast to his overflowing enthusiasm for life. “I know how that goes, Eddie. It’s scary, when things finally start to go right.” He lifted his face, warmth in his green eyes. “But it’s different this time. You’re getting help. You’re busting your ass at this school thing. _And_ …” He leaned forward and kissed Eddie, smiling into it as he almost _always_ did. “...you’re not alone. You’ve got me. You’ve got Venom. Not every day is gonna be perfect, but we’re gonna get through this together.”

His heart settled at that, and Eddie leaned against the back of the couch again, feeling calm; feeling _loved_. Maybe it wouldn’t all come crashing down.

 _“One day at a time,”_ Venom reminded him, wrapping a few more tendrils around Flash, just for good measure. His boyfriend had passed the mantra onto his other years ago, and Eddie tried to be mindful of it as well.

None of them would have to be alone or afraid ever again, as long as they had each other.

Eddie could accept that.


End file.
